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Certified Wildlife Habitat™

National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ Program teaches people to garden for wildlife in their own backyards, schoolyards, businesses, and communities. Sites that provide the basic elements of habitat - food, water, cover, and places for wildlife to raise young - and utilize sustainable gardening practices can be submitted for official certification by National Wildlife Federation.

Any site can be recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, regardless of size. Whether it's a backyard, community garden, schoolyard, rooftop garden, place of worship or business, NWF wants to recognize all efforts to restore habitat for wildlife.

Learn more about the Certified Wildlife Habitat™ Program by visiting www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife.

Certifying individual habitats: www.nwf.org/backyard
Certifying schoolyard habitats: www.nwf.org/schoolyard
Certifying entire communities: www.nwf.org/community

Habitat Tip Sheets -- download these colorful factsheets full of helpful suggestions for creating wildlife habitat

Here are the specific partnership opportunities for affiliates related to the Certified Wildlife Habitat program.

Affiliate Incentive Program

The Affiliate Incentive Program offers state affiliates a monetary incentive to promote NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitat Program within their state.

NWF provides specially-coded paper applications for use only by state affiliates. Order applications online - item #BR46AWAFF (A).
The application may also be downloaded as a PDF.
For every affiliate-coded application that is submitted and certified, the affiliate will receive $5 from NWF.
Affiliates may include this special link into their websites, which leads to an online affiliate-coded application. For each of these online certifications, the affiliate also receives $5 from NWF.

Advantages of the Affiliate Incentive Program

Monetary reimbursement of $5 per certified affiliate-coded application received annually.
Affiliate does not need to provide their own certificates to send to constituents.

For more information, contact Roxanne Paul, Habitats Program Coordinator, 703-438-6586, paul@nwf.org.

Joint Certification Program

The Joint Certification Program allows affiliates to utilize NWF's automated online system for processing Certified Wildlife Habitat applications.

Affiliates will be listed as a Joint Certification partner on the NWF website. A unique joint application will be created featuring both NWF and the affiliate partner. This application will be available for download as a PDF document.
Affiliates can charge a price of their choice, in addition to the NWF standard fee for certification ($15). The charge will be added to the final bill charged by NWF to process certifications. Then additional fees collected, above the standard NWF fee of certification, will be allocated to affiliates on a quarterly basis.
On a weekly basis NWF will provide affiliates with the contact information of individuals who jointly certify. With this information affiliates can supplement NWF certification materials with their own materials.

Advantages of the Joint Certification Program

Affiliates receive web presence on the Certified Wildlife Habitats program certification page and links to their websites.
Affiliates are able to make a direct connection with constituents who certify by sending out information about their organization to a new audience.
Affiliates can earn extra revenue by having constituents certify with their organization and NWF.

Download a Joint Certification Agreement template here. For more information, contact Roxanne Paul, Habitats Program Coordinator, 703-438-6586, paul@nwf.org.

Monthly Mailing List Reports

NWF will provide participating affiliates with a complete monthly mailing list of those who have achieved certification in the affiliate's state. The monthly report includes those certifying via the affiliate as well as those who use NWF's standard Certified Wildlife Habitat application.

Affiliates interested in receiving these monthly reports can contact Roxanne Paul at 703-438-6486 or paul@nwf.org.

Certified Wildlife Habitat Resources --- Order your Certified Wildlife Habitat applications, educational tip sheets, and other resources online.